Ulcerative Colitis

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Basics

• Summary
• Start Here
• Diagnosis and Tests
• Treatments and Therapies

Learn More

• Living With
• Related Issues
• Specifics
• Genetics

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Research

• Statistics and Research
• Clinical Trials
• Journal Articles

Resources

• Find an Expert

For You

• Children
• Teenagers
• Women
• Adults
• Patient Handouts

Summary

Ulcerative colitis (UC) is a disease that causes inflammation and sores, called ulcers, in the lining of the rectum and colon. It is one of a group of diseases called inflammatory bowel disease.

UC can happen at any age, but it usually starts between the ages of 15 and 30. It tends to run in families. The most common symptoms are pain in the abdomen and blood or pus in diarrhea. Other symptoms may include:

• Anemia
• Severe tiredness
• Weight loss
• Loss of appetite
• Bleeding from the rectum
• Sores on the skin
• Joint pain
• Growth failure in children

About half of people with UC have mild symptoms.

Doctors use blood tests, stool tests, colonoscopy or sigmoidoscopy, and imaging tests to diagnose UC. Several types of drugs can help control it. Some people have long periods of remission, when they are free of symptoms. In severe cases, doctors must remove the colon.

NIH: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Start Here

• Ulcerative Colitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Ulcerative Colitis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)

Diagnosis and Tests

• Bacteria Culture Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• C-Reactive Protein (CRP) Test (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Colonoscopy: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish
• Diagnosing and Monitoring IBD (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Gastrointestinal (GI) Bleeding (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Lower GI Series (Barium Enema) (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• White Blood Cell (WBC) in Stool (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

Treatments and Therapies

• Colostomy - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• IBD and Complementary Medicine (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Large bowel resection - slideshow (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ostomy Surgery of the Bowel (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Probiotics: What You Need to Know (National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health)
• Surgery for Ulcerative Colitis (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Ulcerative Colitis Treatment Options (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Understanding IBD Medications and Side Effects (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)

Living With

• Arthritis and Joint Pain in IBD (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America) - PDF
• Bone Loss in IBD (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Crohn's Disease and Ulcerative Colitis: Emotional Factors (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Extraintestinal Complications: Kidney Disorders (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Eye Complications (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• General Healthcare Maintenance of IBD (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• IBD and Fatigue (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Nutrition (North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition) - PDF
• Intestinal Complications of IBD (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Liver Complications (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Managing Flares and IBD Symptoms (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Sex Intimacy and IBD (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Skin Complications of IBD (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)

Related Issues

• Anal Abscess and Fistula (American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons) Also in Spanish
• Antibiotic-Associated Diarrhea (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) Also in Spanish
• Gut Troubles: Pain, Gassiness, Bloating, and More (National Institutes of Health) Also in Spanish
• Influenza and IBD (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Overview of Enteropathic Arthritis / Arthritis Associated with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Spondylitis Association of America)
• Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) Also in Spanish
• Traveling with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• What People with Inflammatory Bowel Disease Need to Know about Osteoporosis (National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases)

Specifics

• Proctitis (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Types of Ulcerative Colitis (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)

Genetics

• Ulcerative colitis: MedlinePlus Genetics (National Library of Medicine)

Statistics and Research

• Current Research Initiatives (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Inflammation (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease Prevalence (IBD) in the United States (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Clinical Trials

• ClinicalTrials.gov: Colitis (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Colitis, Ulcerative (National Institutes of Health)
• ClinicalTrials.gov: Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (National Institutes of Health)

Journal Articles References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)

• Article: Infliximab versus ciclosporin in steroid resistant acute severe ulcerative colitis: a...
• Article: Tofacitinib as a maintenance therapy in patients with ulcerative colitis stratified...
• Article: Specific fungi associated with response to capsulized fecal microbiota transplantation in...
• Ulcerative Colitis -- see more articles

Find an Expert

• American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons
• Find a Gastroenterologist (American College of Gastroenterology)
• National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases

Children

• Crohn's Disease & Ulcerative Colitis: A Guide for Parents and Pediatric Caregivers (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)
• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (For Children) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

Teenagers

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (For Teens) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish
• Navigating IBD as a Teen (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)

Women

• Inflammatory Bowel Disease (Department of Health and Human Services, Office on Women's Health)
• Pregnancy and IBD (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)

Adults

• Young Adults and IBD (Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America)

Patient Handouts

• Colonoscopy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Large bowel resection (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Low-fiber diet (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Lower GI Series (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
• Ulcerative colitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ulcerative Colitis - children - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
• Ulcerative colitis - discharge (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish